Most likely, you've heard the phrase that you have to walk a mile in someone's shoes before you really know them. Well, I've found that it really enhances my scripture study if I try to do that. The story comes more to life when you think of each character as a real person, with thoughts, feelings, wants.
For example, let's talk about when Jesus feeds the 5,000. Jesus told the disciples to feed the people. Andrew then said "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?" (John 6:9).
Now imagine you are that little boy. You have these few loaves of bread and two little fish. Maybe you need to sell them to make money for your family, maybe you earned them today for your pay and that is all your family has to eat. Whatever the case, it was all this little boy had. And the Savior asked him to give it up. That probably took quite a bit of faith from that lad. The boy gives the food to the Savior, and once everyone has been fed, there are twelve baskets leftover. I like to think that the boy got to take some of that home, ending up with more than he started with.
This story is so powerful because if we give all that we have to the Savior, fully trusting in Him, He can leave us better off than before. He can give us so much more than we could obtain all by ourselves. I just love the Atonement!
Here's another one for you. Peter comes to Jesus, possibly frustrated about something. He asks, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? til seven times?" (Matt. 18:21). Jesus replies that we should forgive seventy times seven times. Does that mean we should a little notebook in our back pocket to keep track of each time we're offended? No, probably not. Then the Savior goes on to give the parable of the man who owed a 10,000 talent debt. Fun fact: that's equivalent to about 150,000 years of labor, so in other words, it was a debt that could never be paid. It came time for the man to pay up, but of course he didn't have the money. But the lord forgave the man his debt.
Later, this man went and found his fellow servant who owed him 100 pence (about 100 days labor) and demanded payment. When the fellow servant couldn't pay up, the man had him thrown in prison. When the lord found out, he asked, "Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?" (Matt. 18:33).
Jesus has agreed to take your sins upon Himself. He owns your sins and debts. But this is also true for other people as well. Because Jesus owns other people's sins and mistakes, we must forgive people when they trespass against us. Let go of the issue, and let the Savior step in to resolve it.
The Atonement is such a beautiful thing, not only in what it's capable of, but in the fact that it applies to everyone! The Savior is there for YOU!! He knows you and me, loves you and me, and He wants the both of us to trust in Him. He wants nothing but the best for you. And all you have to do is agree to follow Him.
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